Biblical teaching about value of man

The Biblical concept of the value of human life is derived from the fact that Man is created by God in his image. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, the Creator. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26-27; also see 9:6).  This ‘image and likeness’ of God refers to God’s ethical or moral attributes of spirituality, love, justice, holiness, sense of holiness, humility, concern for others and so on. Religiously speaking, man has a unique place in all the created world. God is good. So, whatever he made of created are originally good.  Man is not merely an animal like any other animal in creation at large. Man’s life came from God’s breath. 
Man is created or made by the Creator in rather a different manner than all the rest in Creation. This constitutes a theme that pervades throughout the Holy Bible. Human life is unique and is of great value to God and as such it should be so to us all humans. However, due to sin and all its evil consequences our commercialised civilisation has led us to such a stage that we forget the inestimable worth of human life. Saint James in the New Testament affirms the truth of this theme in this way: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear fig? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” Our economic, social and political patterns today contribute more to the diminishing of God-given pristine dignity of personal human life by a trend of depersonalising of the human person than not. The incarnation of Jesus Christ in a human person, who in his life, love teaching and all good deeds he incarnated the truth of the supreme value of human life. The human personality is not merely a body and instinct. It is body, mind, soul and spirit put together. To highlight the value of human life Jesus asked the question: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). The Devil tainted the divine image in man, but could not entirely brushed aside it from him.

The Bible itself and also the life and work of Jesus is full of teachings on the value of human life. In his condescension to come into this sin-sick world to forgive human’s sin as a person and give his life for the salvation of man from the consequences of sin. This is how he manifests his value of human life. Great Christian thinker Maldwyn Hughes observed, “The incarnation of the Son of God is itself a declaration of the worth which God attached to man. It is a declaration that human nature, despites its corruption by sin is worth redeeming and is capable of being redeemed.” God loved man that he sent his sinless Son to the world to undo what Satan did to man. People matter to God. Man is the object of God’s love. We listen to this great utterance and teaching of Jesus: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” God constantly looks for the lost ones. So, we know from the Gospel that God seeks the lost to give them his salvation from damnation. That’s why Christ came to this world with the mission of saving the sinners for new life.
Every human is vitally important in the sight of loving God. Left on our own, we sin in our thoughts, words and deeds. But with God’s loving guidance do entirely otherwise: we think good, we say good things, and we do good deeds. 
The value that God teaches us to value others and serve them. When we live in humility and peace, we serve others and thereby we reflect God’s love. In all that we reinforce our godly values and synergy in those we serve. Our work for others empowers all of us and Christ is embodied in us. We can see ourselves with God’s eyes. Acts of love and empathy gets multiplied. There is none to lord over any other, but there is everyone to serve others. This is true freedom. Worldly thinking cannot give this. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23: 11-12). Each person is vital to the tapestry of God in our world. Our contribution to this, big or small, is valued by God because He values us and our life.  Let us do likewise. 

The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader